Caprice

Item details

Caprice focusses on 2 aspects of interpretation: legato phrases with or without tremolo on timpani, and different rhythms from orchestral studies. The choice of sticking and mallets is left to the performer in order to let them find their own individual musical interpretation.

Dedicated to the memory of Vic Firth, this four‐minute solo relies heavily on legato phrases, with and without tremolos, to project mood and character. With only two half-step pitch changes throughout, the primary challenge performers will be faced with is how to smoothly communicate flowing melodic gestures across five drums at slower rhythms and tempi. Rhythmic complexity toggles between simple quarter notes at 88 bpm and more intricate dotted-triplet figures. Specific orchestral excerpts are hinted at within the music, but not with enough frequency to warrant this work as an orchestral “study” piece.

This piece will stretch any performer’s musical interpretation skills, as simple rhythms are cast across multiple measures in extended complete thoughts. As with most timpani music, much of the musical heart and soul of this work will be lost if a performer simply plays the notes on the page. In that same light, younger performers will benefit greatly from refining their timpani listening skills as they seek out the best sounds from the drums once they learn the mechanics of the piece, which is set in a quasi‐rondo form. Additionally, other challenges exist in the form of a handful of tempo fluctuations, triple-forte tremolo sections, and a two‐minute improvisation section. This work offers a great variety and sampling of many timpani performance techniques found across the breadth of repertoire we all enjoy.